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Summary Of Triangle The Fire That Changed America

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In the book of “Triangle, The fire that Changed America”, David Von Drehle talks about the events before and after the fire that broke out on March 25 1911 on the Triangle shirtwaist factories eighth floor in Greenwich, New York. Firemen who emerged at the scene were unable to save the lives of those trapped inside: their ladders clearly weren't tall enough. Pedestrians on the street watched in fear as hopeless workers jumped to their death. The final count was 146 people -- 123 of them women nearly half of them being teenagers, It was the worst disaster in New York City history. This traumatic yet compelling readable book is a bright portrait of an entire age. It follows the rush of Jewish and Italian immigrants that flooded New York in the beginning of the century, occupying its slums and providing its garment factories with for the most part female labor. The workers in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory were amid the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who slaved away in the city's garment factories at the time. These immigrants came from countries such as Italy and Russia in search of a better future, and all around them they saw the possibilities promised by the American Dream. Two men …show more content…

Though the factory was contemporary with its high ceilings and large windows, working conditions were difficult. The bitter fight ended only a year before the fatal fire, New York's garment workers had begun campaigning for shorter hours, safer shops, and better pay. The women of the Triangle factory joined the battle and called a strike, they soon after became leaders in what is considered the largest women's strike in American history. In the first 48 hours, most of the small factories caved to their workers' demands, but the Triangle bosses collected other owners and together they refused to back down by paying prostitutes and police to beat the all the

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